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Los Calles Hablan
Overview Los Calles Hablan is a documentary filmed in Barcelona, Spain, that showcases the current street art scene and how it evolved into what it is today. Several street artists, such as Onergizer, Gola, Meibol, Eledu, C215, KRAM, and Mina Hamada, among others, were showcased in the film. Los Calles Hablan literally translates to "the streets talk." Key Concepts The film showed a very brief timeline of the street scene in Barcelona. After the Franco dictatorship ended in the 1970s, a lot of artists came out and used graffiti as a form of self expression. In the 80s, the art became influenced by the French street scene, while in the 90s, MTV and hip hop culture shaped the scene to reflect more of a New York influence. The documentary filmed a lot of artists and their opinions. A general theme of what they thought graffiti meant was "to feel free." Most of what it is is about self expression and to communicate something personal. Art has been used as an artist's representation of feelings inside of us, regardless of the medium it's used in. One artist commented on how it thrives because of the illegality of it, and that breaking the rules and challenging authority is part of what makes it worth it for them. They care so much about their art, they're wiling to take a risk when producing it. Artists see it as adding value to that part of the streets. Otherwise, people might not have paid attention to that particular building. It also blends in with the environment and gives people the option to look at it, as opposed to ads and you're forced to take those in daily. An important note to make is how one artist said that it's difficult to have an open discussion about street art. Most politicians don't see it as money related; however, the vibrant streets can be a tourist attraction, and Barcelona is such a colorful city itself. Even though these artists are promoting tourism in a sense, they don't receive any of these benefits. They're free; they're not registered to do this by anyone. Because of all this, the artist explained that it is hard to pin down the world of graffiti to a politician. Other Examples There are several films out there that document street art. Los Calles Hablan depicts it for the Barcelona scene, but other films cover scenes all across the world. Exit Through The Gift Shop was a film done by Banksy. It does show the lucrative side of street art, in contrast to Los Calles Hablan. A couple artists in Los Calles Hablan, including Onergizer, never showed their faces on camera. Banksy is a well known street artist, who is also well known for how secretive he is about his identity. Part of this film also highlights how temporary street art is, as Banksy noted it for having its "short life span" and wished to document street art. Other films, such as Children of the Iron Snake, Who is Bozo Texino?, Wall Writiers, and Sly Artistic City are just some films that document street art. Keywords Graffiti Street Art Citation Los Calles Hablan. Dir. Justin Donlon, Silvia Muratori, and Katrine Knauer. Perf. Kenor, Alice, Gola, Ogoch, Tom14. Mapping Barcelona Public Art, 2012. Vimeo. Banksy. "Exit Through The Gift Shop." Exit Through The Gift Shop. Paranoid Pictures, 2010. Web. 22 Nov. 2014. Category:Film Category:Graffiti Category:Reading